I cut wood with a friend that had a new Stihl 041 and I had a Echo 60S about 25 years ago. We going to sell the wood the next winter. I got real tired of him coming up to me saying "my saw's broke down again". It happened all winter. That's when I decided to never own a Stihl.
Echo
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motobike
ArboristSite Operative
Well, I have to chime in. I don't care about brand, so the Ford vs Chevy argument, Stihl vs Husky argument just amuses me. Or rather I just tune it out and don't read those posts.
I have used most brands, not all the models as some claim to have done; but I have used many over the last almost 50 years, so I only know what has happened to me.
In Echo's defense: I have never had a major breakdown with an Echo saw, or trimmer. I don't cut all day for a living, tough.
The older smaller saws were underpowered; But a muffler and carb modification really brings them to life. Let them breath and keep them a little rich.
I did seize a Stihl and crank bearings went on 2 Huskys, and some Homelites were a ##### to keep running right. But they worked fine for what I asked them to do.
In summation: Echos have treated me well. Usually priced lower than the 2 favorites and very solidly built.
Motobike
I have used most brands, not all the models as some claim to have done; but I have used many over the last almost 50 years, so I only know what has happened to me.
In Echo's defense: I have never had a major breakdown with an Echo saw, or trimmer. I don't cut all day for a living, tough.
The older smaller saws were underpowered; But a muffler and carb modification really brings them to life. Let them breath and keep them a little rich.
I did seize a Stihl and crank bearings went on 2 Huskys, and some Homelites were a ##### to keep running right. But they worked fine for what I asked them to do.
In summation: Echos have treated me well. Usually priced lower than the 2 favorites and very solidly built.
Motobike
Kwdog75
Addicted to ArboristSite
I have had my Echo CS4400 for 4 years, cut around 50 cords with it, can't complain but it might need a set of rings now. Good little saw i thought.
Chances are good you had the CS400 up against the rev limiter which makes them sound rich when in fact they are starving for fuel. My CS370 sounded rich hitting the limiter but cut times went from 15 second to 8 or 9 by opening the high 1/2 turn or so. A little misinformation again the Stihl MS250 is 45.4cc and I wouldn't be afraid to run my CS370 against it. It might lose but it would be close. Steve
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What gets me is a lot of people act like all Stihl saws are the same, the it's a Stihl mentality . When in fact their quality varies as much as Chevy Chevet to a Chevy Corvette. Steve
Your being a little generous there Steve, the low budget Chevette we once owned would at least start and stay running. REJ2
Saw Bones
ArboristSite Operative
I used one while helping a friend and found it to be a fair saw. Of course I didn't use it day in and day out. Probably a pretty good occasional use saw. I don't know how it would hold up to hard use.
I like my Dolmar.
CTSawTech
ArboristSite Operative
I say buy whatever you like and appeals to you.
Just buy from a reputable dealer who will support you well after the sale.
There all the same...just pick a color.
OK not really, but you get the idea.
Just buy from a reputable dealer who will support you well after the sale.
There all the same...just pick a color.
OK not really, but you get the idea.
"Stihl MS250 is 45.6cc and I wouldn't be afraid to run my CS370 against it."
My neighbor bought an MS250, and I've helped him take down a few trees and cut them up. Nothing overly impressive about that saw anyplace. Before we got to be good friends, he actually carried it back to the dealer to have them show him how to start it. He's a professor at a local university....LOL. I ran it and set the carb for him, but didn't really compare it to my 55 and CS-360T which I was using at the time. I can tell you for certain, it was barely faster than the little Echo top handle in smaller material, and wouldn't even come close to my closed port 55 anyplace.
Good point about the CS-370 being up against the rev-limiter. I've found all of the smaller Echo's, CS-360T, CS-370 and CS-400 difficult to tune as the coil module they use drops the timing back at high rpms. Even when they don't start "missing" or cutting out, it's really easy to set them too lean. I always end up starting out noticably "rich", then sneaking up on the best carb setting by making cuts with them as I lean them up some.
I saw another comment above about Echo's small saws being "underpowered". This reputation comes from their older line of reed-valve engines, CS-300/301/346/3450, etc. The smaller saws in Echo's line-up, specifically the CS-330T/360T, 370/400 are light years ahead of those older designs in terms of power and cutting speed.....Cliff
My neighbor bought an MS250, and I've helped him take down a few trees and cut them up. Nothing overly impressive about that saw anyplace. Before we got to be good friends, he actually carried it back to the dealer to have them show him how to start it. He's a professor at a local university....LOL. I ran it and set the carb for him, but didn't really compare it to my 55 and CS-360T which I was using at the time. I can tell you for certain, it was barely faster than the little Echo top handle in smaller material, and wouldn't even come close to my closed port 55 anyplace.
Good point about the CS-370 being up against the rev-limiter. I've found all of the smaller Echo's, CS-360T, CS-370 and CS-400 difficult to tune as the coil module they use drops the timing back at high rpms. Even when they don't start "missing" or cutting out, it's really easy to set them too lean. I always end up starting out noticably "rich", then sneaking up on the best carb setting by making cuts with them as I lean them up some.
I saw another comment above about Echo's small saws being "underpowered". This reputation comes from their older line of reed-valve engines, CS-300/301/346/3450, etc. The smaller saws in Echo's line-up, specifically the CS-330T/360T, 370/400 are light years ahead of those older designs in terms of power and cutting speed.....Cliff
I've been running Echo saws for 8 years now, 40 to 50 cords a year. Some see a lot of use and so far I've broken 1 AV mount except for the CS8000 that I ran over with the skid loader. I bought a few basket case Echo saws off Ebay, it's easy too see the quality when all apart. Steve
I've been running Echo saws for over 20 years, only issue was an ignition problem with a cs650, other than that, they have ran with good results. My current situation is lack of a dealer in the spring. I will be making the transfer to Stihl and selling the Echos.
SilverBox
ArboristSite Guru
Naw it was a bit rich (the CS400). I live at 3000ft and the H limiter tab was still on it, the muff mod just made it run right at my elevation. It was crazy fat before I muff'd it, was easily 15% faster then stock. Had a stock one with the tabs on to compare it too.
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jd548esco72
ArboristSite Guru
echo?
i can't say really one way or the other as i haven't run even one of them.
my uncle has one of the small ones. he seems to like it pretty well. he also has a 260 stihl which he also likes. he might cut maybe 6 ricks of wood a year though so it ain't like he runs the ####ens out of either one.
would i buy a new echo? can't say i would be in the market for a new one. if a used one came up at a good price then maybe.
as far as stihl goes i pretty much prefer my 044s to anything out there. but some of my other stihls haven't been near as good as the 044s have been. but they have all been OK. my problem with stihl is more that our dealers in this area are highway robbery if you need anything for them.
echo bought shindaiwa i hear. i just got my first shindaiwa saw a 575 which seems to be a very good saw. echo may be going to drop shindaiwa chainsaws . this could be a disaster or it could be a silver lining if some of the shindaiwa technology ends up in the echo saws--for the echo price.
i guess we will have to wait and see.
i can't say really one way or the other as i haven't run even one of them.
my uncle has one of the small ones. he seems to like it pretty well. he also has a 260 stihl which he also likes. he might cut maybe 6 ricks of wood a year though so it ain't like he runs the ####ens out of either one.
would i buy a new echo? can't say i would be in the market for a new one. if a used one came up at a good price then maybe.
as far as stihl goes i pretty much prefer my 044s to anything out there. but some of my other stihls haven't been near as good as the 044s have been. but they have all been OK. my problem with stihl is more that our dealers in this area are highway robbery if you need anything for them.
echo bought shindaiwa i hear. i just got my first shindaiwa saw a 575 which seems to be a very good saw. echo may be going to drop shindaiwa chainsaws . this could be a disaster or it could be a silver lining if some of the shindaiwa technology ends up in the echo saws--for the echo price.
i guess we will have to wait and see.
cs 440 user
Hello all, new member here and hate to start out like this but I love my echo cs440 bought from home depot for $149 after somebody returned after an ice storm 4 years ago. I was glad to find this site while trying to find out how to replace the spur sprocket that had worn(did the shoestring,hammer and brick chisel method).That was after felling and cutting up most of a large maple rot/leaning. I actually bought and used a 20" bar for the tree and used every bit of it,no problems.I can't stand the dealers around here with their onry attitudes and huge mark ups($54 for that new rim sprocket when they're $12.95 at baileys).That was at an echo dealer. I try to exclusively heat my house with wood and have for the last 4 years and cut alot more wood than that for family. When I cut wood with my brother and his ms 290, I consistently out cut him,even when he gets new chain.I cut and he hauls out of the woods.I can also cut all day and not feel like my arm is ready to fall off. Guess it's true about them commonly refered to here as a boat anchor. I am sure I couldn't talk like this about my saw if I did'nt sharpen my chain occasionally or not run it backwards. Although a big new saw would be nice and some of yall's videos are real cool, for now I'll be happy with my echo cs440.
Hello all, new member here and hate to start out like this but I love my echo cs440 bought from home depot for $149 after somebody returned after an ice storm 4 years ago. I was glad to find this site while trying to find out how to replace the spur sprocket that had worn(did the shoestring,hammer and brick chisel method).That was after felling and cutting up most of a large maple rot/leaning. I actually bought and used a 20" bar for the tree and used every bit of it,no problems.I can't stand the dealers around here with their onry attitudes and huge mark ups($54 for that new rim sprocket when they're $12.95 at baileys).That was at an echo dealer. I try to exclusively heat my house with wood and have for the last 4 years and cut alot more wood than that for family. When I cut wood with my brother and his ms 290, I consistently out cut him,even when he gets new chain.I cut and he hauls out of the woods.I can also cut all day and not feel like my arm is ready to fall off. Guess it's true about them commonly refered to here as a boat anchor. I am sure I couldn't talk like this about my saw if I did'nt sharpen my chain occasionally or not run it backwards. Although a big new saw would be nice and some of yall's videos are real cool, for now I'll be happy with my echo cs440.
andrethegiant70
Addicted to ArboristSite
I don't know much about the new Echos, but the build quality of the older units is indisputable. Excellent machines. It's nice to hear from a few that the newer ones have some merit.
Using the 025 as the representative Stihl saw is possibly questionable. Off the shelf, this one is a bit of a turd. I'm a fan of the saw but I freely admit that a stock 025 is nothing to write home about. Different story once you dig into them a little.
Using the 025 as the representative Stihl saw is possibly questionable. Off the shelf, this one is a bit of a turd. I'm a fan of the saw but I freely admit that a stock 025 is nothing to write home about. Different story once you dig into them a little.
jdvsn83
ArboristSite Operative
My experience:
Echo CS-350TES is a great saw.
Echo CS-510 is the best 50 cc's saw. Maybe it's not the more powerfull, but very reliable and well built.
Old Echoes... heavy saws for their displacement... My father gave me his 2 CS-750VL. They have tons and tons of felled and bucked trees and they run as smooth as their fisrt days. I'm impressed with their compression and how they're built. He had got Stihl, Poulan, Oleo-mac, Pioneer, Husqvarna, etc. saws and had issues with all of them, but he never had to return from work early due to failures in his old Echoes.
Echo CS-350TES is a great saw.
Echo CS-510 is the best 50 cc's saw. Maybe it's not the more powerfull, but very reliable and well built.
Old Echoes... heavy saws for their displacement... My father gave me his 2 CS-750VL. They have tons and tons of felled and bucked trees and they run as smooth as their fisrt days. I'm impressed with their compression and how they're built. He had got Stihl, Poulan, Oleo-mac, Pioneer, Husqvarna, etc. saws and had issues with all of them, but he never had to return from work early due to failures in his old Echoes.
My experience with the gray Echo CS-520:
- Product Quality: Simple issues that shouldn't be issues in the first place (screws vibrating loose and falling out, half of slotted screw heads snapping off)
- Warranty claims: Echo policy requires ALL product issues during the warranty period be handled by an Echo Dealers
- Warranty claims: Echo dealers require you to pay $50 to just look at the saw and file a claim (even if it is clear without disassembly a cover screw is missing or other screw head is broken)
- Warranty claims: Echo owners need to wait 4-6 weeks for Echo Dealer and Echo Warranty Claims Dept to review/approve repair and make repair.
- Echo Customer Service: They are adamant to following Echo Corporate Policy.
See my post on this: http://www.arboristsite.com/communi...oor-quality-and-poor-customer-service.299745/
- Product Quality: Simple issues that shouldn't be issues in the first place (screws vibrating loose and falling out, half of slotted screw heads snapping off)
- Warranty claims: Echo policy requires ALL product issues during the warranty period be handled by an Echo Dealers
- Warranty claims: Echo dealers require you to pay $50 to just look at the saw and file a claim (even if it is clear without disassembly a cover screw is missing or other screw head is broken)
- Warranty claims: Echo owners need to wait 4-6 weeks for Echo Dealer and Echo Warranty Claims Dept to review/approve repair and make repair.
- Echo Customer Service: They are adamant to following Echo Corporate Policy.
See my post on this: http://www.arboristsite.com/communi...oor-quality-and-poor-customer-service.299745/
jdvsn83
ArboristSite Operative
An Echo CS-520 with screws falling out??? I think you are an internet troll. I have near 10 Echo tools and work repairing saws: no one have that kind of issues...
